Part II - Aired on Red River Radio
*Friday, November 21, 2025*
Dorothy Lively says the trucks ignore the rules of the road surrounding Meta's mammoth data center now under construction near her home, in what had been, until recently, the small and quiet town of Holly Ridge. It's a town of fewer than 2,000 people in far northern Louisiana. "I'm scared to death I'm gonna back out in front of a big truck or something, you know what I mean?"
Police reports back up Lively's statements. In some crashes, truck drivers couldn’t see or hear smaller vehicles before colliding into them. At least two drivers fell asleep at the wheel. Reports indicate that in one of those cases, the driver left the scene of his wrecked vehicle to avoid missing a morning meeting at Meta. In another crash, authorities state that the driver did not have a license to operate a company vehicle, yet was still behind the wheel.
Brian Walshon studies highway safety at Louisiana State University. He says these crashes are the fault of the drivers and Meta. "Just because you come rolling in, your Meta and you're this trillion dollar company, and you roll into, you know, West Yahoo, Louisiana, I think it's incumbent of them to be a good steward of the public trust.
In a statement to the Gulf States Newsroom, Louisiana’s Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD) says Meta hasn’t violated its permits. But those permits require minimizing impacts and keeping people safe. In response to questions for this story, Meta says it sets strict guidelines about speed and safety — but did not address specific crashes. The Governor’s office and Richland Parish Sheriff did not respond to questions for this story. But they’ve heard complaints from residents. In June, Gov. Jeff Landry even visited Holly Ridge. Speaking to local TV station KNOE, he acknowledged the traffic concerns and promised control measures, adding: "Because guess what? That project is transformational for this area, but like all good things, it comes with good problems."
Since that visit, the traffic and crashes have continued. Meta says construction will last at least another five years. Residents say they want safer roads – and they want the trucks working on the Meta site to obey the law — and face consequences for breaking it.
Part I - Aired on Red River Radio
*Thursday, November 20, 2025*
What can perhaps best be described as a hyperexpansion, or boom, in the aritificial intelligence industry, is simultaneously generating a huge demand for data centers across the country and here at home. It can be thought of as a positive feedback loop on a global scale.
With that in mind, Facebook and Instagram owner Meta is now building “Hyperion” in North Louisiana. This is the global corporation's $27 billion data center, which, when completed, will be billed as the world largest of its kind in the world. As you might imagine, the onslaught of heavy traffic in the small town of Holly Ridge can be stressful and sometimes even creating dangerous conditions on the roads.
An investigation by the Gulf States Newsroom’s Drew Hawkins confirms that since the project began in December (2024), thousands of dump trucks and 18-wheelers now roll through the town of Holly Ridge at a near-relentless pace, day after day. And they will continue to do so for the forseeable future, a fact not lost on most of the town's nearly 2,000 residents, young and old alike.
Just ask Penelope Hull. As a 4th grader at Holly Ridge Elementary School, she describes the constant noise of the trucks outside as...distracting. “You can't pay attention, and you get too, 'like what is that?' And then you lose what the teacher was telling you to do.”
Crashes are up seven times on the roads surrounding Meta’s new data center. At least 64 crashes this year, compared to just 9 last year, according to records obtained by the Gulf States Newsroom. Such event are disrupting daily life — from grocery runs to school operations. As a result, school officials shut down the playground next to the road this year because of safety concerns. Hull laments, “That's why they're saying we shouldn't go out there and all that 'cuz there's too many wrecks and Meta trucks and they could crash, [long pause]. “I really love that playground.”
In one crash, two dump trucks collided near the school. The driver who caused it had an expired Mexican license and had to be airlifted from a field behind the school to a hospital — on a school day. The Gulf States Newsroom interviewed more than a dozen people who live near the construction site. They describe truck drivers heading to and from the Meta site as dangerous and reckless.
Nearby homeowner Robin Williams says she’s afraid to leave her own driveway. “I've almost gotten a wreck leaving out of my road, down by the schoolhouse. They think they run the road. Her husband Joe agrees. “When you get in that car and get ready to leave you better pray that you make it to your destination.”
